Change

I'm someone who is verrrry much a creature of habit. I like my comfort zones. Moving outside of my comfort zone is a terrifying concept. Change freaks me out.

However ..

Change can be a good thing. Doing things outside of my comfort zone has brought some truly amazing things into my life. Zumba! Yoga! Making new friends, with old friends!

Am I happy in my life? Sure! I've got so much to be grateful for. Our family has come a long way from where we used to be. We moved out (escaped!) of the old apartment and now live in a truly fantastic neighborhood with a wonderful community. I left a job that I felt stuck in and was so miserable working. 

Change is good.

I'm happy, but not as happy as I know I could be. I've got a lot of stuff to work on. I want to work my dream job, something I will love and be proud of. I want to make a few more dollars every week to have those little extras with my family, instead of just getting by on a tight budget. I want more for myself and my family.

Well, nothing changes if I don't change, right? 

I've got a lot of hopes and dreams that I want to make a reality. I want to be a yoga instructor and a Zumba instructor. I want to work with kids to help them understand why leading a healthy, active life is so important. I want to write. I want to dance. I want to learn about nutrition. I want to work one on one with people and use my story to help them with their fitness journey. 

The idea of going to school / taking courses freaks me out. The financial strain it'll undoubtedly place on our household makes me physically ill to think about. The time commitment. The struggle to find balance between work / family / schoolwork. The CHANGE. 

But .. 

I'm not going to make my dreams come true by wishing them to reality. I need to overcome my fears in order to better myself and to accomplish my goals. 

I'm currently researching the best way to take my first step. Zumba verification? Yoga training? Head right into a 2-year college degree? 

It's scary. But necessary. 

Gulp. 

Update!

Hey friends!!

I was in shock when I opened my blogger app - has it really been that long since I last posted?! Eeeep! 

Things have been going super great over here. My focus has shifted off the numbers on the scale and it's been terrific - such a freeing experience, to just do activities I love and eating healthy foods that I love (while still tracking!) without the worry of the next day's weigh-in. I only weigh myself once a week now, and things are going great there. I'm sitting happy with about 117 lbs lost :)

I've focused more now on clean(er) eating. I eat few processed foods. I've really reduced sugar consumption (I take one teaspoon of sugar in my coffee, and other than that I only have sugar in the odd treat .. Like salt water taffy!) 

I try to focus my food intake to lean proteins, fruits, vegetables and healthy carbs like quinoa and sweet potatoes. I do love my protein pancake breakfasts, though .. Hehehe. Things are going well on the food front. I find myself wanting to eat bad things after my long shifts at work on the weekends, but that's just a matter of breaking old, bad habits I had developed over the years. It isn't easy, but it's worth it. I wake up the next day without guilt. 

Exercise is going fantastic!! I've really honed in on my schedule and I'm loving it. I'm only making room for activities I love. Zumba, yoga, long walks, the occasional weight-lifting and running are my go-to's. I've also recommitted myself to PiYO - I gave up on the program last year when I was still suuuuuuper struggling with my weight loss and fitness level, and now, I'm determined to prove to myself that I CAN and I WILL finish it. I've been doing PiYO five days per week for the past three weeks and already see a huge difference in my body as well as my physical fitness, which is amazing. Derek's been doing it with me too, and he already has abs!! 

We PR'd at our 5K run for Ottawa Race Weekend! I finished with 33:46 as my final time. I cried in the food court afterwards when I saw that. What an incredible feeling. My last PR had been around the 46-minute mark .. Two years and many pounds ago. 

So that's my super-quick, mashed together update. I'm really going to try to write more often! :)